Zaeryn held Leia's gaze from across the training floor. Her expression was a cold, satisfied smirk. She was practically vibrating with the need to crush him; he could tell she'd been thinking about it ever since he'd pulled that dirty trick yesterday. She had that look, the kind that said, 'I knew you'd crawl in here eventually.'

"Don't let her get to you," Jyn whispered. "She's just pissed you actually showed up."

"Oh, I'm counting on it," Zaeryn murmured back, his own smirk forming.

Just as he and Jyn were about to find a spot on the mats, Yuna and Morticia, who had finished their own warm-up drill, sauntered over.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with his presence," Morticia said, her eyes doing a slow, appreciative scan of Zaeryn in his uniform. "Why were all three of you late today? You, Genevieve, and Ingrid?"

"Uh…." Zaeryn tried to come up with an answer. He wasn't shy about telling them they'd had sex all night, but he didn't want to say it in case Genevieve and Ingrid wanted to keep it a secret. He settled on a half-truth. "Nothing…. We just played until late."

"Well, we're happy you're here," Jyn said, grabbing his hand. "Now you can fight Leia. She claimed you didn't want to show."

"Why would I not show? And miss my payday?" Zaeryn shook his head. "Not a chance. Genevieve is paying me just for fighting."

"Good," Morticia added, her calm eyes snapping toward Leia and then back to him. "Because she's been insufferable all morning. Practically vibrating with the need to put you in your place."

"Maybe I will be the one who puts her in her place instead ," Zaeryn said. He raised his voice, not shouting, but projecting just enough for the surrounding cadets to hear, his gaze locking back onto Leia. "Hey, Leia! Hope you didn't forget about our rematch!"

Leia, who had been focused somewhere else, turned slowly, her crimson hair catching the light. She finally walked over to where he was standing with Jyn and the others, then met his gaze. "Rematch? You mean your formal execution?" she shot back. "Skipping classes to avoid me didn't work."

"Well, I had a productive morning. But what matters is that I'm here now," he shot back.

"Sure," Leia said. "After this session is over, the chamber is ours. I hope you won't be all talk." After that, she walked away.

The confidence in her stride should have worried him. Instead, Zaeryn felt a strange thrill of anticipation. He had never been a fighter really, but he felt like this was going to be a good fight. He had no idea that across the academy, in chambers far removed from training mats and sparring matches, his very existence was the subject of a much more dangerous confrontation.

---

High Commander Lysara's chamber was silent, the only light a cold, blue glow from the holographic terminal on her obsidian desk. Director Sorina's image came to life, her expression a mix of professional duty and casual curiosity.

"The list is compiled as you requested, High Commander," Sorina said, gesturing to the data packet she'd just sent. "The top five prospects from each year, prioritized by unique or high-class Vitae potential. It's… quite the roster."

Lysara's gaze scanned the holographic file, her expression unreadable. Her eyes landed on the first name on the list: Vespera. Her finger hovered over the file, but before she could select it, Sorina spoke again.

"It's an unusual request, if you don't mind me saying," Sorina probed gently. "You're not thinking of taking on a personal mentoring role at the Lyceum, are you?" Her lips curved into a slight, teasing smile. "Because if you are, I have the perfect student for you. All the raw power in the world, but," she winced theatrically, "desperately in need of a firm hand."

Lysara's gaze left Vespera's file and settled on another. Her finger pressed the name: Dusk. A holographic portrait materialized: luminous green eyes staring blankly, her file noting her shadow manipulation ability as 'Unclassified.'

"Dusk," Lysara noted, her voice flat. "A volatile choice."

"But a powerful one," Sorina insisted. "She needs someone she'll actually respect. She reminds me of warlady Mireille, all that raw power, just waiting for the right guidance."

Lysara dismissed the file with a flick of her wrist. "I'm not taking on a mentoring role at this time, Director. My reasons for the list are my own."

"Of course, High Commander." Sorina backed off instantly. "I'll let you know if anything else develops."

The transmission ended, plunging the room back into near silence. Lysara stared at the empty air where Sorina's face had been, her thoughts already moving on, when the doors to her chamber hissed open.

She didn't need to turn. The sharp, angry click of boots on the obsidian floor made it clear to her who had entered.

"Lysara."

Commander Charlotte Thorne strode into the room, Councilwoman Zia was a step behind her. Thorne's jaw was set, her hands clasped behind her back in a posture that mimicked calm, but the tightness in her shoulders betrayed her.

"Commander. Councilwoman." Lysara turned slowly, her hands clasped behind her back. "I wasn't aware we had a scheduled meeting."

"We don't." Thorne stopped a few paces from Lysara's desk. "I came as soon as I heard the rumor. Tell me it's not true."

Lysara waited.

"Tell me," Thorne continued, her voice dropping to something dangerous, "that you did not enroll the anomaly in the Lyceum."

Zia stepped forward, her contempt barely masked. "A uniform, Lysara? You gave him a uniform and let him walk among future warladies?"

"He is being trained," Lysara said evenly. "His abilities are nascent. Leaving him uncontrolled was the real threat. Director Sorina is monitoring him."

"Monitoring?" Thorne's composure cracked. Her voice rose. "He should be in a containment cell. He's a threat, this is madness!"

"You didn't just let him walk free," Zia hissed. "You put a walking calamity in a classroom. How long until he 'accidentally' bonds with a high-tier student? Or has that already happened?" Her eyes flicked sideways, a clear reference to Daphne.

Lysara's expression didn't change. "His abilities are a fact. His lineage is a fact. I am managing both."

"Managing?" Thorne took another step forward, and for a moment, Lysara thought she might actually do something reckless. "You're gambling with the entire academy. With the Empire."

"I am following Princess Athea's orders," Lysara said, her voice dropping to something colder. "Which are absolute."

The room went silent. Zia's lips pressed into a thin line.

"An 'absolute' order," Zia said slowly, "that is, in itself—"

"Choose your next words carefully, Councilwoman." Lysara's gaze locked onto her. "Because what you're about to say is a formal accusation of high treason against the direct heir to the throne. And I promise you, regardless of whether you're right, you will not survive the political fallout." She let that sink in. "Even Commander Thorne is smart enough to know when to value her life."

Thorne's face went white, then red. Her hand trembled at her side.

"My decision stands. You are both dismissed." Lysara said, turning her back to them as a gesture they were dismissed,

Thorne looked at her, for a long, vibrating moment, her chest heaving with suppressed rage. "Your decision is reckless," she finally bit out. She started walking out, however when she reached the door she stopped without turning. "And Lysara. I hope you know that, this won't stay a secret for long. Your first mistake was enrolling him into the academy, now he is going to be known by everyone, and when this explodes, and it will, this will be in your hands. Not mine."

Zia just smirked, a cold, venomous look. "Enjoy your 'reprieve,' Lysara. Secrets this big don't stay buried for long." With that she followed Charlotte Thorne out of the chamber.

Back at the academy.

The buzzer signaling the end of the CQC session echoed through the Aegis Chamber, and the low chatter of the cadets instantly kicked up. Zaeryn slipped away from Jyn and Morticia, his name already being whispered by the departing students.

"Zaeryn Vs Leia. This is gonna be fun," Said a student.

He ducked into the bathroom off the main floor, the door hissing shut behind him, plunging him into blessed silence.

He leaned his back against the cool tile, closing his eyes for just a second. This wasn't a class drill. This was the main event.

His shoulder still sent a dull, throbbing ache down his arm, a sharp reminder of Leia's flawless technique and the brutal, humiliating efficiency of her key lock yesterday. Without Vitae, she had dismantled him.

If she could do that without her vitae abilities, then how much more could she do with it? Today, Instructor Zelda had set the dampeners to 50%.

He stalked over to the sink and splashed cold water on his face, staring at his reflection.

'Fifty percent.'

Obviously that gave Leia, a Tier 2 Warlady in training, a massive advantage. But Zaeryn's lips curved into a slow, predatory grin. They were wrong. Fifty percent of Leia's power was still terrifying, but fifty percent of his nascent, chaotic abilities? That was the sweet spot.

It was enough to use his Kinetic Acceleration fast enough before she could react. It was enough to form a Vitae construct without the risk of immediately knocking himself out cold.

Zaeryn took a final, steadying breath, rolling his shoulder. He pushed the door open and strode back out into the main chamber, ready for his rematch.

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